Kitchen Staples

Today I’ll talk about the tools I use in the kitchen to make my meals as healthy as possible. These are in no particular order of importance.

Cast Iron Skillet

These days we mostly use cast iron skillets when we cook because they’re great for cooking meat and vegetables. You can use them on gas and induction stove tops and in the oven so they are multi-use and versatile. You can also get extra iron intake from using them. They’re really easy to take care of and clean. Get one that comes already seasoned with oil. The more you use it the more seasoned it becomes and the better your food will taste. We just scrape the chunks of food out with steel wool and wipe it down with a paper towel. Every once in a while, we’ll season it with MCT oil, which has no flavor so it won’t add flavor to your food like olive oil or coconut oil might. If there’s food stuck on the skillet we will soak it in HOT WATER ONLY (no soap, as the skillet will absorb the soap which will get into your food). If there are no food chunks in it we will leave the left over cooking fat in there for the next time we cook. It adds lots of flavor to the next dish we make.

10 or 12 inch Ceramic Coated Skillet

If you don’t want to go with a cast iron skillet, the next best thing is a ceramic coated skillet. It’s safer than Teflon non-stick cookware which can release toxins into your food as you cook. Ceramic is a much safer and healthier choice than other non-stick skillets. We have a 12 inch ceramic skillet that we use when we cook more than two pounds of meat at a time and it works great. It’s easy to clean and it’s dishwasher safe.

Rectangular Glass Baking Dish

A glass baking dish is not just for baking brownies. It’s great for roasting vegetables, making casseroles, primal friendly lasagna, baking meatballs and meat patties. It’s really easy to clean; just put it in the dishwasher.

Glass Loaf Pan

I love making my bison meatloaf in my glass loaf pan. I don’t need to coat it with cooking fat because the meat has enough fat in it that comes out as it cooks that the meatloaf doesn’t stick to the pan. It’s also great for baking primal friendly breads.

Stainless Steel 3 Quart Sauce Pan

I absolutely love my stainless steal 3 quart sauce pan! I use it just about everyday. It’s great for heating up homemade bone broth, making shrimp coconut curry, and tomato sauce. A high quality stainless steel sauce pan is a safe multi-use staple to have in your kitchen.

InstaPot Slow/Pressure Cooker

This is hands down one of my favorite kitchen staples. It can be used as a slow cooker to make delicious chili or homemade bone broth. Or you can use it as a pressure cooker to cook your meals in minutes. And, as a bonus, it’s really easy to clean. Check out this cookbook for great InstaPot Pressure Cooker recipes.

Oven Safe Glass Food Storage Containers

Oven safe glass food storage containers are essential for efficient meal prep. They’re great for storing precooked meals you can just take out of the fridge and reheat without dirtying any other dishes. We use them to store washed and chopped vegetables.

Spiralizer

Before I started my paleo/primal journey, I ate lots of pasta. I love the combination of homemade marinara sauce with meat and vegetables. Zucchini noodles, or zoodles, are a great alternative to high-carb wheat pasta and they’re really easy to make with the Spiralizer. It’s really easy to use and comes with three different attachments so you can choose different size noodles. All the parts are dishwasher safe. I recommend rinsing the parts under hot water before putting them in the dishwasher to make sure they get really clean.

Glass or Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Various Sizes)

About 10 years ago, I received one of my favorite Christmas gifts: 10 piece glass mixing bowl set from William Sonoma. This was the only thing I wanted for Christmas because I knew I would use them frequently and they are really durable. They have been through seven moves with me and lots of use and are still in great shape. I use the small bowls to mix my homemade taco seasoning. One of the medium size bowl are great for dips such as homemade guacamole. The large ones are good for bringing salads to dinner parties and mixing ingredients for baked goods.

Silicon Spatula

We try not to waste food so a silicon scraper spatula is perfect for making sure we get all the left overs from the sauce pan to the glass storage container. It’s great for scraping the bowl when I make my homemade salad dressing or homemade primal waffles.

Measuring Spoons

I love to make anything I can homemade: lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, salad dressing, taco seasoning, tarter sauce, lip gloss, etc. Measuring spoons are a must have tool in my kitchen to make as many homemade products as I can. Most of these items take less than 10 minutes to make. The best part is that I have control over the quality of ingredients I use so I know I’m putting the best ingredients in and on my body at any given time.

Measuring Cups

Measuring cups are another essential tool in my kitchen mostly because I make so many things from scratch. You’ll need this for many of the recipes you make. If you’re going to start cooking most of your meals yourself, this is a must have tool in your kitchen.

Blender

A high quality blender is great for making homemade soups, nut milks, ice cream, sauces, dressings, smoothies, and much more.  We have a Blendtech because it can handle blending whole foods and nuts with ease.

Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer

The Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer is my favorite piece of equipment in my kitchen. I use it for baking, mixing meat for meatloaf and patties, making dips, and much more. The mixer comes with a wire whisk, flat paddle, bread hook, and shield. However, you can purchase more attachments such as a spiralizer and ice cream maker. We have the ice cream maker attachment and make homemade primal-approved ice cream that is so creamy and delicious. There are different sizes of mixers to choose from depending on the space you have in your kitchen. You can also choose from glass and stainless steel for your bowl. They are both great options.

These kitchen staples make it easy for us to make primal-approved nutrient-dense meals at home that are delicious and easy to make. We’re now hosting a Primal Cooking Basics class at our home the forth Saturday of each month. I invite you to join us so you can see first hand how we use these kitchen staples.

Thanks for reading everyone!